Saturday was the final day for Israelis – particularly the 12-15 age group – to receive the first dose of the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine two-dose series of shots.
The ministry reported that 39.4 percent of young teens ages 12 to 15 have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. A total of 24.7 percent of eligible teens have been fully vaccinated, having received both injections.
Mobile vaccination units deployed to beaches around the country on Saturday to persuade as many people as possible to take advantage of the inoculation prior to closing eligibility for inoculation this summer.
“To encourage vaccination and make it easier for teens who want to be inoculated, we [sent] vaccination units to the sites of their favorite entertainment: the beach,” incoming head of Maccabi HMO Sigal Dadon-Levy told the Hebrew-language Walla! News site.
There remains just enough Pfizer BioNTech vaccine to complete the inoculation series with the second shot for those who already received their first dose of the present supply of vaccine, which expires at the end of July. There is also a limited amount of Moderna vaccine for adults who still wish to be inoculated, the Health Ministry said.
Israelis who have not yet received even the first dose of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine, and wish to, will now have to wait until September to be inoculated, when the next shipment of vaccine doses is expected to arrive.